Memories tied with the book I am currently reading

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and my quinoa-corn-edamame-feta salad, heh

I am currently reading "A tree grows in Brooklyn" and it reminds me so much of my childhood. It does not mirror my life however it often makes me reminiscent of the good old days. While this is not a book review of some sort, which I will probably do after I have finished the book, I want to write about the memories tied with this book (this physical book).

I remember buying this book at the second-hand bookstore at Victoria Plaza back in 2014. The name of the store is just simply "Bookstore" and the storefront shows this name in green text, all caps, and each letter is boxed in green outline. It was my favorite shop in the city because (1) it's a bookshop, (2) it's cheap, and (3) old books are like a treasure. The third point reminds me of the young guy telling his friend about how much he loves going back to the store because finding a good book in the sea of bookshelves is like finding a treasure. I was there in front of him, reading each title of each book's spine, and smiled as I heard him say it because I felt what he meant. I am sure he felt the same sadness I have had when the store closed down.

It was a thing for me to go to my favorite bookshop back then. I reckon I go there on a weekly basis - assuming that there are new books every week which of course was not true because I almost know the books on every shelf as if I work there. Going back to this book, this was the book I chose to bring with me inside the plane to read while traveling from Davao to Dubai. It was the book that was supposed to be my distraction from whatever emotions would envelop me because leaving home (and not knowing when I would come back) and going to a new city that I have never been to was too much to handle emotionally. Of course, I was too sad to read a book and I was amused by other things during the overall travel with my sister because it was my first international flight. This book was never read until I picked it up last month. Finally.

All these memories came rushing in my head when I have decided to start reading the book. The story is very reminiscent of my childhood days although the events are not as close as how it was, I guess the feel of it always brings me back to my younger years. What perfect timing to read this book at this time of the pandemic when I am mostly remembering life in the previous years with my family and great friends. 💖